Max Kade Writer in Residence Program

Our Max Kade German Writer in Residence Program, the oldest in the country, constitutes a focal point in our curriculum and attracts students who want a genuine singular opportunity to learn from a living author. This artistic residency serves as a dynamic teaching and learning opportunity.

Each year, our students write a biographical text based on German-language interviews they conduct with the guest author. These biographies formed the basis of a book, Willkommen und Abschied: Thirty-Five Years of German Writers in Residence at Oberlin College, which was edited by Professor Heidi Thomann Tewarson and Dorothea Kaufmann, then-faculty in residence.

Published in 2005 by Camden House Press, the book has the original biographies as well as “After Oberlin” essays written by students and faculty members. It provides a fascinating view of German-American relationships as well as a chronicle of life in Oberlin, Ohio, since 1968. 

The Max Kade Foundation has been exceptionally generous to Oberlin College as part of its own mission to promote a “positive relationship between German-speaking countries and the United States.”

Additionally, graduates and friends of the German studies department have remained supportive of the program. We use these funds to enrich the learning experience of our majors and all students on campus.

The college began this residency in 1968.